Formatting an Academic Paper in Microsoft Word: Fonts, Spacing and Margins

1. If it isn't already selected, click on the Home tab.
2. In the Font section, choose "Times New Roman" from the Font dropdown menu.
3. In the Font section, choose 12 from the "Font Size" menu.

Unless otherwise specified, academic papers are always double-spaced.

1. If it isn't already selected, click on the Home tab.
2. In the Paragraph section of the toolbar, click on the small arrow in the lower-right corner. The Paragraph window should appear.
3. In the Spacing section, open the "Line Spacing" dropdown menu and select Double.

1. Click on the Layout tab.
2. Click on the Margins dropdown menu.
3. Most assignments call for one inch margins on all sides. This is usually the default setting.
4. If you don't see the settings needed for your assignment, click on "Custom Margins..."